Would you think its ok to put an earring on a child

Zambia

As the title states several times I have seen toddlers who cant even speak sporting diamond studs or similar in prams.

Now these are pierced not clip ons, however that would be just as silly.

Do you think it is acceptable to pierce the ears of a child who cant even speak?

Is their any reason to this practice bar pure vanity of the parents?

seamus

Well, no.

For a start, it makes you and your child look like dirtbags.

But mainly it's because you're unnecessarily mutilating your child. It's the sort of decision that should be left until the child is old enough to decide for themselves. You wouldn't put a small tattoo on your baby's arse, so why put a small hole in his/her ears?

And I say this as a male who's gotten a couple of piercings over the years.

bigneacy

Have to agree with Seamus on this one. In the words of Simon Cowell "Its a 'NO' from me"

Morag

In many countries it's cultural to get ears pierced of a baby girl on her 1st birthday.
This is used to tell the difference between a boy and a girl and that the family has money and values the child.

Personally there's not a hope in hell I'd do it to mine.

slarkin123

Personally i don't like them on babies and i would be very reluctant to put a child through that pain for no good reason. I let my daughter get hers done when she was 8 but she could understand it was painful and still wanted it done. We were lucky that both ears were able to be done at the same time. Afterwards she admitted if they weren't done together she wouldn't have wanted the second ear done.

newmammy2011

When I was in hospital having my twins earlier in the year, a brazillian woman pierced her 2 day old daughters ears herself!
The nurses were disgusted!

tittle mouse

NO NO NO NO it looks so tacky and why would parents put their baby through unnesseccary pain. I've even seen toddler boys with one ear pierced!! its horrible

roast

Toddlers?? Christ... hell no.

dharn

NO NO NO NO NO

Moonbeam

I have been told that In some countries they do it for you in the hospital after the baby is born.
I personally don't agree with it but it is a cultural norm in many places.

xzanti

Absolutely no way.. I think it's barbaric to pierce holes in a child's flesh for cosmetic purposes.. it's bad enough watching them get their vaccines :mad:

Also, it does look tacky as hell... turns my stomach when I see little toddlers and indeed in some cases, infants going around with pierced ears.. pure chav!!!

As for certain other cultures, I tend not to think too much about that.. considering there are parts of the world who practice female genital mutilation, neck expanding methods etc.. not to mention those big discs in their ears and lips.. I'm not touching that one with a barge poll.

But in Irish children, tacky and just plain ridiculous imho.

cynder

No, i hate it with a passion.

I hate seeing the babies with big hoops, babies love pulling things i would hate to see it pull one of the hoops in its ear, horrid.

I got my ears done at 5 after lots of begging and i never wear earrings im allergic to the nickle. my daughter got them done by her aunt at 5 after lots and lots of begging. She never wears earrings now, she too is allergic to the nickle.

wmpdd3

I also hate them but I have a few friend who got their girls done abroad either at birth or very soon after. And the kids do pull them out.

I wouldnt dream of it, its true I can only bearly manage the injections.

wolfpawnat

Got them done myself when I was young, think I was 6-7, remember getting one done and nearly dying at the thought of the second one. I have a boy, and I see some going around with one lobe pierced and I think it is the tackiest thing I have ever seen. I would make mental comments about any child I see that has it done, though I do acknowledge cultural tradition. But as another poster said, the vaccines are cruel enough, most mothers only bare that upset because they know the prevention is better than the cure. Putting a child through pain for no real good reason is horrible!!! I have a facial piercing myself so I am not a prude. I just think young children with piercings is a no-go for me.

lolli

I personally wouldnt allow my daughter to get her ears pierced until around the time she'll be making her communion. She'll be old enough then to decide if she wants to go through the pain of getting it done herself.

I remember my little cousins coming home from England, one was about 2 years and the other was 8 weeks old and both of them sported gold hoopy earrings. It just looked so tacky especially on an 8 week old baby!!!!

Orion

Got my girls' ears pierced recently. Two places I was in asked what age and would have refused if under 8.

Hannibal Smith

I was 2 when I got my ears pierced (and I'm lovely I swear ) If it was up to me I don't think I could get my child's ear pierced at such a young age, but speaking as a person who's had it done that young, I'm very grateful because I've never known/remembered the pain of having my ears pierced

January

None of my girls will be getting anything pierced until they are old enough to go to a piercing parlour and get it done with a proper needle and not those barbaric bloody guns... I hate them with a passion...

lonestargirl

I don't think a child should have a piercing until they are old enough to know what's involved and decide they want it. One of the girls in my son's creche has her ears pierced, she's not even 1 yet :mad:

LegacyUser

I've lived in Spain for years and there every little girl get it done in the hospital. It's awful, I know 2 women who didn't do it but one gave in after about 6 weeks because to many people had mistaken the baby for a boy.

Personally I would wait untill the child is at least ten. I feel like, while it's not a major decision they should decide if they want it or not.

OKeeffer

Orion wrote: »

Got my girls' ears pierced recently. Two places I was in asked what age and would have refused if under 8.

Absolutely disgraceful.

What kind of a parent are you to wilfully inflict this damage on your daughters?

OKeeffer

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

I was 2 when I got my ears pierced (and I'm lovely I swear ) If it was up to me I don't think I could get my child's ear pierced at such a young age, but speaking as a person who's had it done that young, I'm very grateful because I've never known/remembered the pain of having my ears pierced

What nonsense. You would think it was some kind of rite of passage the way you describe it.

You're "grateful" to have your ears pierced aged two? You need to re-evaluate your upbringing if you think this is in anyway a good thing.

psycho-hope

if and when I have children, they wont be getting their ears pierced on-till they are old enough to ask themselves and can understand that its going to hurt abit.

My mums friend is from Mumbai, and she was telling us her parents couldn't understand that Irish hospitals don't pierce a baby's ears before you leave the hospital apparently the part of Mumbai they come from its a sign that you value the child and are wealthy to pierce they baby's ears at only a day or 2 old

OKeeffer

psycho-hope wrote: »

if and when I have children, they wont be getting their ears pierced on-till they are old enough to ask themselves and can understand that its going to hurt abit.

My mums friend is from Mumbai, and she was telling us her parents couldn't understand that Irish hospitals don't pierce a baby's ears before you leave the hospital apparently the part of Mumbai they come from its a sign that you value the child and are wealthy to pierce they baby's ears at only a day or 2 old

I wouldn't place any credence on the views of someone from Mumbai. It is backward in the extreme and women are not exactly well respected in society.

Orion

OKeeffer wrote: »

Absolutely disgraceful.

What kind of a parent are you to wilfully inflict this damage on your daughters?

I'm the kind of Parenting mod that is giving you three days off this forum for insulting two posters in two minutes. That one of them happened to be me is irrelevant by the way.

When (if) you come back please read the charter and do not use personal abuse as a debating tactic again

[edit]upgraded to permaban for blatant racism and obvious trolling

Hannibal Smith

OKeeffer wrote: »

What nonsense. You would think it was some kind of rite of passage the way you describe it.

You're "grateful" to have your ears pierced aged two? You need to re-evaluate your upbringing if you think this is in anyway a good thing.

Erm..maybe the way you read it it sounds like that. The way I see it, have your ears pierced at 2 when you can't remember the pain...have it done at 8 when you're crapping yourself waiting to get it done.

My upbringing was perfectly fine, which I feel is proven by the fact that I'm not the one chucking around the insults :P

SarahJ

Oh god no no no I hate seeing young girls with their ears pierced! I will not allows daughter to get them done until she can ask me herself, then I'll add 2 more years
My neighbour is Brazilian and they actually pierce the newborns ears before they leave the hospital, to each their own but not for me personally

jcf

Disgusting, In Spain they do it to newborn girls as standard.

sick.